The University of Kansas has launched an initiative to help address a critical shortage of nurses. This comes as Kansas hospitals see their highest nurse vacancy rates in decades. The new Kansas Nursing Workforce Center will expand partnerships with community colleges to encourage more people to enter the field. The center will also work with employers to try to reduce the number of nurses who quit. It’s estimated that roughly 75% of nurses report burnout, and the center hopes shoring up the state’s nursing workforce is particularly vital to keep rural hospitals open.
The new center will try to get more people to enter the nursing field and expand programs for specialty training. An aging nurse workforce and high rates of burnout have led to an exodus of nurses in Kansas and elsewhere, as well as COVID leading to more leaving.
According to the Kansas Department of Labor, by 2026, Kansas will need an additional 18,000 nurses, 28,000 nursing assistants and 6,000 home health aides.
